People cease to amaze me...and I don't say that with anger. Diversity amazes me. Struggles amaze me. But most of all, stories amaze me.
I love stories. I want to hear them. When I am trying to get to know a person, I want to hear the stories they have. Whether it is stories about family, stories about friends, stories about happiness, stories about struggles...it doesn't matter. It is one's stories that make a person who they are.
For now, I work in a restaurant. I'm a server. I deal with people for probably about 95% of my job. And every single table I go to, I think about the stories they have. It is probably not noticeable at work, and the people I work with will not know this about me until (and if) they read this blog, but I think a lot at work about the people and environment around me. I had a table last night...two older men who have been partners for 28 years and recently became legally hitched. As I always try to instigate conversation among my tables, this conversation was inspiring. Twenty eight years...wow. And they have never been happier. It's sad that I only had a few minutes to talk with the gentlemen because I wanted to hear more. I wanted to hear the stories behind their lives, their struggles, their fears, and what has kept them going.
I think a lot of the motivation we get comes from stories. When we get depressed over something, many times we think of other people and say, "I'm not the first person who has ever faced this problem, and I won't be the last. If someone else made it through this, so can I" And many times, that keeps us going.
I've recently begun working the crisis hotline again. I've been doing it off and on for a year and a half now. Yea, a lot of times, it's not happy stories. After I hung up my phone from a 7:30am call this morning, I thought back...what kind of story lies behind the man who I just hung up with. It's ironic, but many times I find joy behind working a crisis/suicide hotline. I learn so much from the people I talk with, and maybe they learn from me. Although many times I find myself struggling to figure out what to say, hopefully what I do say inspires or helps them in some way.
If you're reading this, I want you to think of your stories. What stories do you have that make you who you are? I am lucky to have many people in my life...my family, friends from college, new friends in Richmond. But when I think about it, I don't think I have taken the right amount of time to sit down and listen to stories.
It doesn't matter who you are, I'll buy your coffee...as long as you provide me with your story.
Hopefully I'll see you around...
